Under the Sky
by BittersweetSummer
Summary: In which the star's daughter learns of her King's first love.


******This is my first foray into Narnia fanfiction, so forgive me for any mistakes. Caspian and Ramandu's daughter have always been my Narnian OTP, and I am not a big fan of Suspian. If you squint a little, you can detect a past Caspian/Susan, but obviously, it's in the past and therefore not a strong relationship.  
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******I gave Ramandu's daughter the nickname of _Evenstar_, because it seemed fitting. I've loved Arwen's name ever since I saw the movies and looked up everything about the series immediately afterward. I actually finished reading the books for the first time. I loved it.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia, or _Evenstar_. Evenstar hails from the Lord of the Rings series, more specifically from the name of Arwen ****Undómiel (Evenstar). All recognizable content belongs to C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, respectively.**

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The Narnians know naught of her origin except for the fact that she hails from a distant country, and is a descendant of the stars. But they trust their king, and welcome her to their land, despite their inhibitions.

All know her by the title of the Lady Evenstar, since none know her true name, save the king her husband.

_Queen Evenstar, _they whisper. _Evening Star. _

They soon come to love her as much as one of their own.

* * *

It is custom for the Queen to stand on the balcony and look toward the sky.

Oftentimes, Caspian joins her, and together they turn not toward the rosy sunset, but toward the stars in the east, mere pinpricks of light that only she can fully decipher.

It is then, in the velvet twilight, when their whispered conversations are held in secret, where the only witnesses are the moon and the stars.

* * *

She has seen many years, but none can prepare her for the newly-felt emotions that she has experienced in this strange land.

But this particular feeling is white-hot and bitter, so overwhelming that she finds herself in the kitchens, angry tears splashing onto the stone floor.

When the cook walks in on her minutes later, the Queen Evenstar breaks into fresh tears upon looking at her kindly concerned expression.

_You are jealous, my dear,_ the florid-faced woman explains after hearing her story. The word is foreign to the crying girl, yet she finds that she understands perfectly.

_Tell me about them, _the Queen whispers.

And after much prodding, the star's daughter learns of her king's first love.

* * *

The night is cloud-shrouded as she looks to the east, taking the darkness as a bad omen.

When her husband joins her she does not answer his greeting, and asks only one question.

_Why did you not tell me about her? _

She does not need to specify which woman she was talking of.

The silence is long, and it is just them, for not even the stars are audience to their meeting now.

Then his hands are on her shoulders, and she trembles from the contact, despite her resolution to not be affected by him during this particular conversation.

He draws her close, and buries his face in her hair, murmuring his own question in response to hers.

_How?_

She pulls away, not able to see his expression in the gloom.

_I overheard Drinian and his companions._

She can feel his discomfort, even in her temporary blindness.

_I am sorry you had to learn of it in that manner._

She is silent, her unspoken question lingering in the air between them. She feels so foolish, so juvenile. But she has to know.

After what seems like a long while, he continues.

_We were young and foolish. It was never meant to be. It was wrong; we were too different, and came from vastly different worlds. _

His tone is unmistakable. She breaks her silence and asks the question that had been plaguing her ever since her conversation in the kitchens.

_Do you love her still?_

Again, he pauses. The night is quiet, with only the melody of the sea and the hiss of its waves in the air.

_Yes._

There is an odd feeling in her chest, like her heart has been wrenched out of her body.

_But then I met you, my Lady._

Her world is spinning, and she walks out of the balcony, afraid to show her reaction to the newfound revelation.

* * *

Caspian is worried.

After a stern warning to Drinian to not talk about his past so hastily, he sits in the kitchens, replaying a certain nighttime conversation in his head.

He was a fool not to foresee this. But he had spoken the truth last night, and had only received a strange silence in response to his last words. The Queen had retreated into their bedroom and fallen asleep soon afterward.

When he woke up today she was gone.

* * *

Thus the royal cook finds the king sitting on the kitchen table with his head in his hands. She had just had a lovely walk in the gardens with her newfound friend.

_What bothers you, my King?_

She thinks that she already knows the answer.

He jumps at her words and grunts something indistinct.

Then, remembering his manners, excuses himself, saying that he shouldn't trouble her with his problems, and walking out before she could say another word.

_She still loves you, my King, and she understands._

Cook smiles as she hears his footsteps faltering upon hearing her words.

* * *

That night all is clear, the clouds washed away and the full moon casting its glow over the sea.

The Queen is watching the stars dance across the eastern skyline, and makes no motion as Caspian approaches her silent form.

When he stands next to her, she speaks without looking at him, still gazing at the stars.

_I love nights like this…_

She trails off, looking tentative. He finishes the phrase for her, his gaze smoldering.

_Because you can see the stars._

She turns toward him, and in the moonlit night, he imagines that he can see the glow of the stars in her eyes.

He gathers her in his arms once more.

This time, she does not pull away.

There is still much to talk about, but for now, all was well.

* * *

**Ah. Well, it was a bit too fast-paced for my liking, but I think this is one of my favorite stories to write, despite how long it took. **

**Reviews are lovely; feel free to tell me what you're thinking.**


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